Drive and enthusiasm is not enough

FORMER US president, Theodore Roosevelt, once said: “With self-discipline, anything is possible.”

But he forgot to add:“As long as you have the necessary talent.”
Richard Asher (31), from Meadowridge, discovered this brutal truth when he set out to become a master golfer by dedicating two years of his life to the sport, but in the end he just couldn’t reach his goals.

People’s Post published an article in June last year about Asher’s mission to become a scratch golfer by April this year.
He even half-joked at the time that he wanted to play in the US Masters at Augusta.
His plan was to raise funds at street corners to play six days a week for 10 hours a day, and finally get his handicap down from 25 to zero.

His outrageous dream was contagious, and many felt that it might just be possible.
It was plausible at the time that his sparkling enthusiasm alone might be enough to propel him to greatness.

Unfortunately for him and all the other idealists in this world, his determination wasn’t enough to make up for his “lack of talent”.
Asher explains: “I believe I have the potential to get to single figures, but if I think how hard I had to work just to get to a 10 handicap, then it will still take a while.

“It is extremely time consuming. I would play in the morning, then go to the driving range in the evening and putt on the carpet at night. “I even dreamt about playing golf! People say I’ve done well, but I expected more. It says to me that I don’t have the talent.”
One of his main problems is that he doesn’t have a repeatable swing or even a reliable mistake. “If I did then I could adjust before the swing,” he chuckles.

Playing every day at Westlake Golf Course made financial sense, but it also directly resulted in him exclaiming: “I’m sick of it!”
He earned money through freelance journalism, and made time for his friends every now and again. “They know I’m a bit crazy, so they understood,” he adds.

Asher always has a mission – a dream he pursues. He will be heading off to Australia in the future to drive trucks through the harsh Outback, but deep in his heart he really, really wants to be a pro golfer.
“It’s the best job in the world! It has to be.”
During his drive to be a good golfer, he was coached by one of the best in the business and former Sunshine Tour player, Wayne Bradley, so he can’t even use bad coaching as an excuse.
“I’ve seen enough. I don’t think I could ever beat (newly-crowned US Open champion) Rory McIlroy – even if I practice 24 hours a day from now to the day I die.

“Then again, there is truth in working hard. If you’ve seen talent, then there’s a reason to work hard. It kind of sucks a bit, because you want to buy into the whole ‘you can achieve anything you can’ bit, and there’s so much of that kind of nonsense floating around, but there are certain limitations.”

He still keeps his blog updated, http://www.mygreenjacket.com, and holds on to his dream of playing at Augusta someday, but he has come to the sad realisation that it would not be as a professional.
At least he has become really good at walking after his golf ball.

It is perhaps best to never take this sport too seriously, much like the entertainer, Sammy Davis Junior. When Davis was asked what his handicap was, he responded: “My handicap?
“Man, I am a one-eyed black Jew! That’s my handicap!”

***DISCLAIMER: THIS ARTICLE AND PHOTO WERE PUBLISHED IN PEOPLE’S POST, A CAPE TOWN BASED MEDIA24 COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER. NEITHER MAY BE DUPLICATED WITHOUT ACCREDITING THE SOURCE – PEOPLE’S POST, MEDIA24.***